2026 UK IOM National Championship – Datchet Delivers a True Test Ahead of the Worlds
by Nigel Barrow 7 Apr 19:19 BST
3-6 April 2026


2026 IOM UK Nationals at Datchet – David Lindsay and Craig Richards launching in rough conditions © Nigel Barrow


The 2026 UK IOM National Championships at Datchet Water Sailing Club proved to be far more than a domestic title fight.


With the venue set to host the IOM World Championships in May, this event became a full scale operational rehearsal—testing race management, logistics, and the unique challenges of running major radio sailing competition on one of the UK’s largest inland waters.


A Venue That Demands More


Unlike many model yachting venues where racing can be run from a single shoreline base, Datchet requires a multi site approach. Three separate course areas were prepared: one in front of the clubhouse, one to the east, and one on the north bank. Volunteers and competitors logged more than 16,000 steps per day, moving equipment, laying marks, and repositioning RIBs and of course walking the course.


The scale of the ground tackle alone was remarkable. With depths ranging from 10 to 25 metres, nearly one kilometre of rope was prepared, along with new marks and heavy tackle for three full courses. Much of this work fell to Hugh McAdoo and Event Organiser Phil Holliday, who also oversaw campsite preparation, power distribution, Portaloos, site clearance, and MYA branding.

The race team—led by Race Officer Peter Baldwin, with support from Wayne Stobbs and MYA President Derek Priestley—faced the constant challenge of selecting the right course area as the wind shifted. The diligent finishing team was Sharon Plested, Jen Hand and Min Edwards. Judith Baldwin and Jim La Roche managed the Fleetboard along with the additional tricky job of herding observers for each race. Allocating observers to each race on the Fleetboard was one thing, getting observers to the start area proved to be an entirely different issue. Richard Jones, kept the results flowing smoothly along with David Adam, Howard Shawyer and Mike Beckett.


On the water the boats for course setting(mark laying) and rescue were manned by Paul Kimmens and Hugh McAdoo and crewed by John Arundal and Rob Vice.


In the clubhouse, food and drinks including an excellent dinner on Sunday night was managed by Keith Burwood with assistants Keira, Jessica and Jo on Sat/Sun/Mon respectively. Separate special meals were prepared for a range of special dietary requirements (On of the competitors mentioned it was the best attention to her dietary needs that she had ever come across).


Friday: Inspection and Practice


Competitors arrived throughout Friday for equipment inspection. Hugh McAdoo built a special jig for the worlds to sit on his recently calibrated scales, quickly weighing hulls, bulbs, fins, and rigs with the heaviest battery installed. Once passed, sailors took advantage of a lively 15-20 mph breeze—ideal B rig weather—to tune up ahead of racing.


Saturday: Storm Dave Arrives


Saturday began quietly with A rigs dominant, but as Storm Dave built, the fleet cycled through B and eventually C rigs. Datchet’s trademark chop made for exhilarating downwind surfing and challenging starts, but the fleet handled the conditions well.


Six races were completed, with seeding race wins going to Craig Richards, Rob McIntosh, and Pete Walters. Visiting Americans Peter Feldman and Mark Gollison immediately showed their pace.


After Day 1, the leaderboard stood:


1. Peter Stollery

2. Graham Elliott

3. Craig Richards

4. Mark Gollison

5. Rob Walsh

6. Rob Dyer


Competitors and volunteers retired exhausted to the clubhouse after a demanding opening day.


Sunday: Delays and Difficult Decisions


A night of heavy wind gave way to a morning of A rigs, but the fleet soon returned to B and the smallest C rigs as the breeze strengthened. Frequent wind shifts, protests, and the need to accommodate returning club boats to the jetty caused significant delays. A lunch break further compressed the schedule, and the final A heat of Race 10 could not be started before the time limit expired.


The day ended with an excellent meal in the clubhouse, giving sailors a welcome chance to regroup and sample local beverages.


Monday: A Final Push


Monday dawned calm, but by mid morning a steady breeze allowed racing to resume on a single course area—an enormous relief for the race team. Five races were completed using A rigs, though the shifting breeze produced wildly inconsistent results across the fleet.


Even overall leader Peter Stollery posted an uncharacteristic run of 10, 9, 15, 4 in the final four races but still won by 27 points over second place. Peter also won the David Perkins trophy which is the award for outstanding sportsmanship. As well as winning overall, Peter sat on protest committees, regularly helped other competitors as well as being a sage to the race team and organisers.


Andrea Roberts collected the prize for the first lady and Jonathan Neale won the Vulturesoft Novice Trophy for the highest placed competitor in their first Nationals.


The standout performance of the last day came from the author, who climbed from 21st on Saturday to 11th overall with final four results of 15, 6, 4, 2, securing the Veterans Trophy as the top helm over 70.


Final Results: Britpop Still Reigns


Despite pressure from both domestic and international challengers, Peter Stollery secured his third UK IOM National Championship, sailing one of the original 2011 Britpops—a design that continues to dominate elite IOM competition. All three of the original Britpops have won the UK National Championships.


Overall Results: (top ten)


1. Peter Stollery – Britpop

2. Graham Elliott – Britpop

3. Mark Gollison (USA) – Venti

4. Peter Feldman (USA) – VISS

5. Rob Walsh – Venti

6. Craig Richards – Proteus

7. Rob McIntosh – Venti

8. Pete Walters – Venti

9. Darin Ballington – Britpop

10. Josh King – Pop


Designer Brad Gibson will no doubt take great satisfaction in seeing his 16 year old Britpop design still at the forefront of UK championship racing.


A Successful Dress Rehearsal for the Worlds


The 2026 UK Nationals demonstrated that Datchet Water is ready for the challenge of hosting the IOM World Championships. The event tested every aspect of race management—from multi course logistics to rapid course changes—and the volunteer team delivered at every stage.


With international sailors already showing strong form and the Britpop lineage still proving formidable, the stage is set for a compelling World Championship in May. If you are near Datchet from the 17th to the 23rd, come and visit to see the best radio sailors in the world in action. If you can’t, then a video of every heat will be uploaded to YouTube as each race completes. The next best thing to live streaming.


Overall Results:


PosSkipperSail NoClub/CityHullR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14R15
1Peter Stollery39Guildford & Littleton RSBritPOP!23162443224109154
2Graham Elliott9Birkenhead RS&PCBritPOP!3421452151724831727
3Mark Golison155AMYAVenti71032581110117141071
4Peter Feldman41AMYAViss291810.33116138138739
5Rob Walsh25Fleetwood MY&PBCVenti121928139193115112105
6Craig Richards112Datchet RSProteus151146122257422183327
7Robert McIntosh64Birkenhead RS&PCVenti11443131532101671620196
8Pete Walters65Lincoln RSCVenti51924111210791192515617
9Darin Ballington98Lincoln RSCBritPOP!5111415142121215101671453
10Josh King126Windrush RYCPop21122321233881286181918
11Nigel Barrow54Datchet RSViss1028262611914116181015642
12Tony Edwards75Yeovil DMBCR2V2316810197517415922291120
13Rob Dyer93Eastleigh&District MBCVenti385715615716141932441714
14David Lindsay23Datchet RSV121125914716206562021261829
15Martin Roberts22Birkenhead RS&PCBritPOP!1540534581481131218515823
16Graham Bantock95Chelmsford RYCFORKILO81523383028222323917251912
17Duncan Ellis37Norwich MYCBritPOP!117168920384038172328131411
18Buzz Coleman12Coalhouse Fort RYCVision4252313171727332825261431210
19David Donin16Gosport MYBCVenti9121023262217261432217332424
20Tony Guerrier50Three Rivers RYCVenti52579201216182752133313230
21Austin Guerrier68Datchet RSVenti9266182319132025231412212935
22Tim Hand134Lincoln RSCBritPOP!465338403138149131219302326
23Jonathan Kneale5West Cornwall RSCV116203844162133242931159162025
24Brian Summers7Tayside RSCProteus8351551013105338282730324133
25James Edwards88Yeovil DMBCBritPOP!9252030273219418302829272828
26Andrea Roberts63Birkenhead RS&PCBritPOP!73217293646391619203513112236
27Mick Chamberlain46Lincoln RSCVenti11402712182424.25324211320363138
28Steve Cockerill27Emsworth Radio SailingBritPOP!6183131333026212633344142123
29Simon Fairman71Manor Park RSCAlioth61313162235232932263234394434
30Nigel Brown55Gosport MYBCVenti132934382529252835223743121315
31Ben Harker122Huntingdon RYCH60144030202918323023293323353919
32Paul Middleton52Fleetwood MY&PBCV12122738253534312721273031382616
33Julia Hancock24Hampton Court MYCBritPOP!73028243125283134393947223018
34John Howell78Three Rivers RYCBritPOP!1953323239271520354748424053
35John Taylor128Fleetwood MY&PBCGillette101725273226293530365338405153
36Paul Plested15Birkenhead RS&PCBritPOP!123753172838384338322424344831
37Martyn Aspinall91Rotherham MYCBritPOP!133133232436444548442926233439
38Colin McGinnis45Tayside RSCBuzz342129384638533440343827243538
39James Hadden119Gosport MYBCBritPOP!1953535353535353535311681613
40Vernon Appleton73Datchet RSBritPOP!135044413853243841414838252732
41Roy Stevens154Scarborough MYCBritPOP!83643424433183833424145384743
42Bob Conner14Woodspring MSCBritPOP!124753405345434146454044282521
43David Lapes3Three Rivers RYCProteus154653193840303247384549414648
44Claes Nordin99SWEProteus103342434139533943433138505041
45Tracey Ballington49Lincoln RSCBritPOP!154135384343414739404435434244
46Clive Harries116Keighley & DistrictVision174239393441533842495140453646
47Malcolm Stewart129Emsworth Radio SailingBritPOP!143441484544474844473650484540
48John Crix28Eastbourne&District MYCVenti164938474753404431375051515250
49Richard Jutsum89Lincoln RSCViss164546494242424245464653474349
50Harry Neill51Hawley Lake RSCProteus164845535353484649484239493842
51Anthony Marshall33Eastbourne&District MYCVenti174340535353465353534346463745
52Lee Mutlow60Woodspring MSCVision144447465353455353534942524947